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Egypt. President-elect Mohammed Morsi is to be officially sworn in this week, and has already moved into former president Hosni Mubarak’s office. The current cabinet, led by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, is expected to submit its resignation soon. The location of Morsi’s swearing-in ceremony remains unconfirmed—it has been reported that he may take the oath before Egypt’s High Constitutional Court, and that he may appear before parliament, in defiance of its dissolution by SCAF.

Israel/Palestine/Jordan. Russian president Vladimir Putin visits Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan this week in a trip seen as an effort by Russia to shore up its influence in the region. While in Israel, Putin is expected to discuss Iran and Syria, as well as business and tourism cooperation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-level officials. Bilateral relations and the peace process will be among the issues discussed in meetings with President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and with King Abdullah in Jordan.

Sudan. Protests continue throughout the country over high prices and government austerity measures; on Sunday, security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Khartoum. Demonstrations are now in their second week, although they remain relatively small and scattered. President Omar al-Bashir has denied that the protests are the beginning of Sudan’s Arab Spring, saying “the Arab Spring in Sudan happened many times already.”

Syria. NATO has set emergency talks for Tuesday over Syria’s downing of a Turkish jet last Friday. The Turkish government is still contemplating a response to the incident, although Turkey’s foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu has warned that “no one should try to test the capacity of Turkey.” Meanwhile, a group of high-ranking Syrian military officers has reportedly defected, arriving in Turkey on Sunday with a group of soldiers and their families.

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